Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

Rain simplified the equation, leaving Bangladesh needing 75 runs from 70 balls. Their captain, Mohammad Azizul, was well set, but an unlikely saviour emerged for India with the ball in this Group B match of the ICC U-19 World Cup in Bulawayo. Vihaan Malhotra (4/14), supported by Khilan Patel (2/35), turned the game on its head with his part-time off-spin, to seal an 18-run victory under the DLS method. India had posted 238, with Abhigyan Kundu (80) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (72) leading the scoring. At the halfway mark, Kundu said he was pleased with the total the team had put…

Venue: Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo Date & Time: Saturday, January 17; 1:00 PM (IST) Victory. That is what matters at the end of the day for India. It was not entirely convincing, especially in the way they batted, but the team will be relieved to get two points on the board. To bundle out the USA for a paltry 107 after bowling in largely unfamiliar conditions at the Queens Sports Club was a commendable effort. Henil Patel made an early mark in the tournament with exceptional figures of 5 for 16 in seven overs. Others chipped in as well…

Top-order batter Aaron George is nursing a tennis elbow injury and remains doubtful for the remainder of the ongoing ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup. Captain Ayush Mhatre provided an update on the 19-year-old after he missed out on selection for the tournament opener against the USA. Eyebrows were raised when the playing XI was announced, with Aaron not included. “He (Aaron) is nursing a tennis elbow injury, which is why we rested him for this game,” Mhatre said in response to RevSportz’s query. India will play Bangladesh on January 17. With very little turnaround time, Aaron is all but ruled…

Long before rain lashed the pitch, a hurricane named Henil Patel tore through the USA’s batting at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club. His five-wicket haul pinned the underdogs to a total of just 107. For India, the chase seemed a gentle cruise in comparison, but the USA bowlers gave themselves a chance by dismissing Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi early. A composed Abhigyan Kundu (42 not out) ensured India chased down the revised target of 96 with six wickets in hand via the DLS method and got the team off to a winning start in Group B of the ICC U-19…

Date and Time: January 15, 9:30 AM Local time, 1:30 PM IST Venue: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo As soon as the Indian players came out of the airport, they were welcomed by a traditional dance with music in the background. Soon, one of the members of the team joined the dance crew. It was all good fun. No players joined in, but their cameras were out, capturing the moments. Maybe they were saving some energy or creating memories. Good on them. From the day they arrived, the days have been occupied with work. Nets, drills, matches, repeat. This is a…

In a couple of day, India will open their U-19 World Cup campaign against the USA. They arrive with the weight of expectations and tag of favourites draped over their shoulders. And this time, that belief feels justified. Thirteen victories from 16 matches since last year, series wins in England, Australia and South Africa — this is a team that has learned how to win and how to do that away from home. History, too, stands firmly in their corner. Five titles already rest in India’s cabinet, a reminder that this is a tournament they understand better than most. On…

A Vaibhav Sooryavanshi special and a four-wicket haul from Kishan Kumar Singh propelled India U-19 to an eight-wicket win in the second Youth ODI against South Africa U-19 in Benoni. With this victory, India U-19 took an unassailable lead in the three-match series. For the second time in the series, South Africa captain Muhammed Bulbulia won the toss and this time opted to bat first. Playing his first game after missing the opening match, Kishan Kumar Singh showed his class with the ball. The left-arm pacer made the new ball talk, moving it both ways to dismantle the hosts’ top…

The second-string India U19 side handed South Africa U19 a 25-run defeat in the rain-curtailed opening clash of the three-match Youth ODI series in Benoni on Sunday, January 4. For the first time in over a year, India U19 took the field without Ayush Mhatre or Vihaan Malhotra, facing a full-strength South Africa side in their own backyard. The hosts put India under extreme pressure early on by removing skipper Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and makeshift opener Aaron George. Vedant Trivedi and Abhigyan Kundu both got starts but failed to convert them. They lost their wickets in quick succession, leaving India U19…

“Why all the fuss about coaches? It is captains and players who win or lose matches.” This was the point Ian Chappell made in 2022. The late, great Shane Warne once described a coach as little more than a vehicle to get you to the ground. Over the years, there have been occasions when players openly questioned the absence of a coach, and naturally, everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. One could argue that experienced players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma at this stage of their careers may not strictly need a coach. Both have spent years at…

Spin-bowling all-rounder Mohamed Enaan and seam-bowling all-rounder R.S. Ambrish have been recalled as the BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6. Two changes have been made to the squad that played in the Asia Cup. Leg-spinner Naman Pushpak and wicketkeeper-batter Yuvraj Gohil, both of whom did not play a single game in the Asia Cup, have made way for Enaan and Ambrish. Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi and first-choice wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu form a strong batting core.…